Tweet
It appears, with passage of new legislation by the Washington State Legislature, that Gov. Gregoire may soon sign SB 5622 into law, requiring visitors to all Washington State Parks to either buy a $30/year Discover Pass, or pay $10/day for the right to visit each park.
Currently, there are no fees to visit Washington State Parks--only fees to use campsites, launch ramps, certain day-use facilities and moorage floats/buoys--but the state is broke and needs to fill a $60 million-per-year gap in state park funding.
As the bill is written, those of us who purchase the annual Natural Investment Permit (allowing us to launch our boats at any state park, all year long) will NOT be required to purchase a Discover Pass. (Of course, the 2011 cost of a Natural Investment Permit will be $70...ouch!)
Then there are annual Moorage Permits, which are separate from the Natural Investment Permits or the Discover Passes. If you want to tie your boat up at a state park float, or use mooring buoys at state parks, the cost for a 2011 permit will be $3.50 per foot of boat, with a minimum of $50 for the annual moorage pass. (Buying a Moorage Permit for our 27 Luhrs would cost $94.50, in other words...allowing us to keep the boat at any state park float for up to three days at a time--at the end of which you have to leave for at least 24 hours before returning for another three-day stay. This strategy has worked well for some liveaboards we know, who play Musical Chairs with their boats...moving from one state park facility to another, staying for three days and then anchoring-out for a day, coming back, anchoring out...etc.)
So, for many of us, it appears that buying a Natural Investment Permit might make sense, allowing us to enter any of the parks with or without a boat in tow...but, importantly, giving us the right to launch our boats at any park, and park our tow vehicles and trailers there while we're boating.
The governor hasn't yet signed the bill, but NWCBC members might want to check the State Parks website in coming weeks for updates, or to buy permits online. If signed into the law, the new Discover Pass system would go into effect on July 1, but you can buy a Natural Investment Permit or annual Moorage Permit right now, if you wish.
Here's the Washington State Parks website:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/
Personally, I think we'll hold off on buying any permits until we hear what the governor does....and until we get closer to the time when we start using state park ramps on a regular basis.
- Marty
Currently, there are no fees to visit Washington State Parks--only fees to use campsites, launch ramps, certain day-use facilities and moorage floats/buoys--but the state is broke and needs to fill a $60 million-per-year gap in state park funding.
As the bill is written, those of us who purchase the annual Natural Investment Permit (allowing us to launch our boats at any state park, all year long) will NOT be required to purchase a Discover Pass. (Of course, the 2011 cost of a Natural Investment Permit will be $70...ouch!)
Then there are annual Moorage Permits, which are separate from the Natural Investment Permits or the Discover Passes. If you want to tie your boat up at a state park float, or use mooring buoys at state parks, the cost for a 2011 permit will be $3.50 per foot of boat, with a minimum of $50 for the annual moorage pass. (Buying a Moorage Permit for our 27 Luhrs would cost $94.50, in other words...allowing us to keep the boat at any state park float for up to three days at a time--at the end of which you have to leave for at least 24 hours before returning for another three-day stay. This strategy has worked well for some liveaboards we know, who play Musical Chairs with their boats...moving from one state park facility to another, staying for three days and then anchoring-out for a day, coming back, anchoring out...etc.)
So, for many of us, it appears that buying a Natural Investment Permit might make sense, allowing us to enter any of the parks with or without a boat in tow...but, importantly, giving us the right to launch our boats at any park, and park our tow vehicles and trailers there while we're boating.
The governor hasn't yet signed the bill, but NWCBC members might want to check the State Parks website in coming weeks for updates, or to buy permits online. If signed into the law, the new Discover Pass system would go into effect on July 1, but you can buy a Natural Investment Permit or annual Moorage Permit right now, if you wish.
Here's the Washington State Parks website:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/
Personally, I think we'll hold off on buying any permits until we hear what the governor does....and until we get closer to the time when we start using state park ramps on a regular basis.
- Marty
Comment